Mystery Of The Sea Horse (16 page)

This should be fairly near the marketplace. The gray-haired man, with a hand clamped tightly over her mouth, had dragged her down only one long corridor after grabbing her in the alley.

"There's a chair over there." The flashlight beam illuminated the spot.

"I didn't notice," answered Diana.

"Well be leaving soon," said Laura, swinging the light back so it shone on Diana. "We want to wait until nighttime."

Diana had no idea what time it was. She had the impression she'd been in this lightless room for hours. "Is Chris Danton here?"

"Not right in Mocosa," answered the redhead. "Nearby, though. Maybe you'll have dinner with him." "I can forgo the pleasure."

"Speaking of food, are you hungry? I can whip you up a sandwich or something," offered the other girl. "I'm very handy that way, with food."

"No, thanks."

"Oh, it wouldn't be drugged," said Laura. "When it comes time to haul you out of here, we'll simply give you a shot to put you to sleep for a few hours."

"What does Chris have in mind for me now?"

The flashlight rose and fell two inches as the red-haired girl shrugged. "I'm honestly not sure," she said. "But he said not to shoot you down this time. Instead he wants you brought out to the island."

"Maybe after the other night he's lost confidence in your shooting ability," said Diana. "Does he have an island down here?"

"Oh, Chris has always got an island somewhere," said Laura.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

The gray-haired man came in and said, "The truck's here."

"I didn't hear it." Laura was sitting on the edge of a long wooden crate.

"That's probably because this room is soundproof."

There was a single wall light burning in the windowless room.

Laura hopped to the earthen floor, taking a final look into the box.

Diana was stretched out in there, unconscious. The gray-haired man, whose name was Edwards, had given her an injection ten minutes ago.

"I'll need a hand with this lid," said Edwards.

"Is she going to be able to breathe inside there?" The small red-haired girl was standing beside the crate, hands on hips.

"Help me with the lid, will you?" said Edwards. "Don't worry, there are plenty of air holes."

Laura picked up her end of the lid without bending her legs. "Heave ho," she said as they fitted it into place.

Edwards secured it with a half-dozen nails. He grunted once, began pulling the crate along the floor. He'd placed a dolly under it before depositing Diana.

The panel truck was waiting in an alley on the other side of the building. Night had arrived and little-light .from the street found its way here.

With the driver pulling from inside, they got the crate into the truck.

Edwards quietly closed the doors. "I'll see you over on the island tomorrow," he told Laura.

"Seeing the blonde lady again tonight?" Laura walked around to the front of the truck.

"Yes, but we're not dining out. I don't want to be noticed by any friends of your cargo there."

"Bon voyage," called Laura as the truck rolled out of the alley.

Twenty-five minutes later, she and the crate were approaching a small hilly island some two miles offshore. Laura was sitting with one booted foot atop the box. "I'm trying to decide," she said to the broad back of the man at the wheel of the launch.

"Huh?" he asked without turning.

"Which of you is the best conversationalist, the guy who drives the truck or you."

"People can talk too much."

Sighing, Laura turned to watch the approaching island. It didn't look like much. Raw hills and a few stands of gnarled trees, a cluster of simple adobe houses. Orange light showed in some of the windows and dogs barked. Not guard dogs like Danton had on his other island, only mutts this time. Everything visible was camouflage.

Chuck Piper was waiting for Laura on the dock. "Got her?"

"Same-day service," replied Laura. "Have a hammer?"

He drew a hammer from a loop on his trousers, tossed it down to her. "Here you go."

Laura began prying the lid off the crate. "Hop down here and heft her out, Chuck." The nails made a twisting, whining sound as they were drawn from the wood.

Chuck lifted the drugged Diana up out of the wooden box.

"Wait a sec." Laura reached down into the crate. "One of her shoes came off."

Chuck carried Diana onto the dock and then almost one hundred yards across the island. He went into the first small house with her.

Laura followed, the lost shoe swinging on her forefinger. She tugged down two consecutive hooks in a closet of the bedroom, causing a section of wall to slide away. There was a metal door behind that. The red-haired girl pushed at three of the many screws on the surface of the door. It hissed slowly open. "All aboard for funland," she said, stepping into the concealed elevator. "Where's he want her taken anyhow?"

"Onto the yacht." Chuck came sideways into the elevator with his burden.

"Whereabouts on the yacht?"

"Cabin A-5."

"Ah, she's going to be traveling first-class."

Steam spiraling up from the cup of coffee hid part of Danton's face. "At long last," he said, "I may welcome you aboard the
Sea Horse."

Diana was sitting in a chair next to her cabin bunk. She had awakened only a few minutes earlier. She brushed her hair back from her face and watched him without answering.

"I really am sorry about that incident the other evening, Diana."

"Which incident? The one where you tried to brainwash me, or are you referring to your attempt to blow me up?"

Danton laughed, holding the coffee cup toward her.

She brushed it aside, making hot coffee splash on his wrist.

"You must believe me." Danton placed the cup on a bunkside bureau, and wiped his wrist. "I truly regret my attempts to have you killed, Diana. They were angry impulses, which I now sincerely regret. You can see for yourself that I am only holding you for a while until I am safely away. I have no intention of—"

"Do you regret trying to kill my friend, too?"

Danton laughed more loudly. "I must admit I am not as fond of the Phantom as I am of you."

"So you know who he is."

"Yes. As you know, I've traveled considerably throughout Bangalla. I've heard a good deal about the Phantom. Now, thanks to you, Diana, I've had the opportunity to meet him."

"You'll meet him again."

"I doubt he'll find you this time," said Danton. "My people were relatively discreet. And in another day or so we'll be safely at sea, heading for an entirely different part of the world."

"The
Sea Horse
should be pretty easy to recognize, no matter where it is."

"Unfortunately you came aboard while you were not too observant, otherwise you would have noticed I have crews working round the clock to change our facade." He sniffed the air for a second. "I've never been fond of the smell of paint, but it can't be helped. When we leave this little hideaway, under cover of darkness in a couple days' time, the
Sea Horse
will have ceased to exist. We will have new and believable registry papers and even I will be bearing a new identity."

"Another one?"

Danton stared at her. "What do you mean by that?"

"You're not the only person who's wanted to talk to me lately," Diana said.

"Something to do with who I am?" He took hold of her arms above the elbows. "Tell me."

"Two men," she said, turning her head away from his. "They seemed to think I know a good deal more about you than I really do."

"Be more explicit." He lifted her half out of the chair. '"Who were they?"

"They never did identify themselves exactly." She twisted out of his grip. "But I do know they were hired to kill you."

Danton's eyes nearly closed. "To kill me, yes. I see," he said. "Surely you have some idea of who hired them. Were they connected with organized crime, with the syndicate? There's a great deal of-"

"They want to kill you," Diana told him, "because they believe you're Rolf Langweil."

The handsome man stiffened. He touched his face before crossing the room to stare out a porthole. All he could see was the wall of the cave. "A ridiculous notion," he said, laughing. "Like the games mass-circulation magazines play—
Is Hitler Still Alive?—
and that sort of thing."

"You mean you're not Rolf Langweil?"

Danton, still staring out at the blackness, said, "What else can you tell me about these two misguided men?"

"One of them is being held by the Santa Barbara authorities." She leaned against her bunk, rubbing at her arm.

"And the other one?"

"I imagine he's still hunting you."

"This latter man, what does he look like?"

"Tall and blond, very amiable outwardly."

Danton nodded to himself. "The same one, yes,"

he murmured. He faced the girl again. "I assume by now several people have heard of this ludicrous idea about me?"

"Yes, the man in custody was telling anyone who'd listen."

"And how many people know your dear friend the Phantom has come down here to look for me?"

Diana hesitated a second. "I don't know," she said. "He doesn't confide everything in me."

"Perhaps it's still only the three of you I have to worry about—you, the Phantom, and the other man." He put a hand on the doorknob. "Still we'll have to leave even earlier than I had planned. Good night, Diana."